Is our house strange?

I forgot to post the link.  Here it is.Pictures

your house is lovely and not strange.  don't worry.

Try not to take anything they say too personally.  I didn't think it was strange?  You will probably here a lot of different reasons that are kind of silly why people didn't like your house while you are on the market.

House layout preferences are very individual.   It is very hard for most buyers/realtors to respond in feedback, so it is quite common to get words such as "strange" or "not quite right" or "weird".      At this point, don't worry about it.   If several people respond that it is "strange", then perhaps it is indeed strange, but that doesn't mean it won't appeal to someone.    (Each room looks nice in the photos, but I have no clue about layout from the room photos.)

As a buyer, I have seen some houses that I'd use the word "strange" for in casual conversation.  Later I've driven by and seen "sale pending" signs.   I must be boring!

"Strange" just has negative connotations.  I think your house would be better described as "unique"....the whole point is how functional the floor plan is.  Good flow?  That's what matters.

I think some people are boring when it comes to houses, and some houses are just boring...I personally like character and uniqueness.  Maybe even a little funky.  Makes life more interesting!

The fact the your house is "custom" and "unique" makes it special, not strange.  I'm sure you'll find someone who'll appreciate it just as you do.

The negatives: If our family had younger kids, I would not buy a house with a basement bedroom. Also, the house is all electric, and the driveway is unpaved. The dark colors may not appeal to every buyer. For the buyers, these items translate into spending more money after moving. 

The positives: Large, private lot and decent flow in the upstairs level. Are their neighbors nearby?

I guess you'd need to see what they think is a common floor plan.  Maybe they think the front door should be on the roof or the kitchen should be detached from the main building.

I know a man who bought a house at one end of a block and, over the years, has purchased every house on the block and linked them all together into one giant, single residence (five houses).  His bedroom / dressing room is one whole house.  His closet is the interior of a Barney's Clothing Store he purchased in Manhattan.  His living room is open to the sky in the center with a stand of palm trees and his kitchen has three separate areas, including one that is set up like the inside of a coffee shop.  On his deck he cut an old wreck of a T-Bird in half to make into bench seating.

Now that's a strange floor plan.

TWB - that's not strange, that's cool.  I'd buy it in a heartbeat, presuming it came with the clothes from Barney's.

andyman - see?  Sometimes it's about individual taste and needs.  "Strange" may have negative conotations but I wouldn't worry about it.  It worked for you.  It will probably work for someone else and these buyers just couldn't come up with a better word than "strange."

I think it's beautiful.  What a lovely setting.

I dont see anything strange about it!! The house is very nice and the grounds are lovely. The price looks good too.

good luck to you..

I've seen strange and your home is lovely.  Different people have different tastes, that's all there is to it.

One realtor told me to repaint the whole house white.  So I did and then we heard it was 'too sterile'.  Then we were told to remove all personal items and clutter.  We did and then another realtor brought in clutter because the house looked too empty.  I now have pictures of people I don't know in my livingroom.

Go figure!

la457, "I now have pictures of people I don't know in my livingroom."

That is funny! :)

Beautiful house, not strange at all...

Difficult to tell from the photos what is strange. I would not be too concerned with one comment. If it is repeated a few times try rearranging furniture/items to shake things up. Invite friends, family and realtors from your agents office to assist in this. Again, only if more "strange" comments are made.

Maybe your layout is unusual but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  When we first saw (and fell in love with) our present house, our agent warned us that it had a strange layout (for example there are two bedroom right by the dining room) and therefore it would be hard to sell.  In an area where most people are looking for typical colonial houses, our house will always be worth a little less because of the layout.  We understand that.  Still, it's very uniqueness appealed to us (look, it's not a typical colonial!) and we are sure it will appeal to someone else.  It just takes the right buyer so it may take a little time to find that right buyer.  Your agent should be prepared to emphasize the advantage of your layout.  It looks like a nice house.  Good luck and don't get discouraged by people who are looking for typical.

Thanks for the supportive and funny comments !

I just wanted to say that the fact the house is all electric is a positive in my opinion. I personally don’t like gas utilities. If we had gas, we would have to have our own propane tank. The utilities average $108 per month which I think is cheap considering we run a hot tub as well. This is cheaper than any house I have ever lived. Also, we usually get a $100+ check back from the utility every year as a capital credits they refund.

I was going to have the driveway chip and sealed last year but the contractor never showed up. There were only 2 in the area that can do it and the other one was too high. The house is actually on a gravel road and you have to drive less than a half mile. I think just a small negative for our house. The gravel is in great shape and I keep the weeds under control. So far only one house has paved their driveway. I think the pavement would look unnatural.

There are 16 lots in this subdivision all on 5 acres, but only 11 houses. On our side there is one home next to our lot and it isn’t close. The other side of our lot is empty and the people that own it have no plans to build. In the summer you can’t see the house next door due to the trees, but can't see in the windows.

Well hopefully we will get some more showings and someone will appreciate our beautiful “strange” home. I'm hoping it will sell since I've already found some houses in town that I want to see. I just refuse to look until we have a contract.

I'll admit that I would find it strange to walk in the front door and find myself directly in the kitchen. But other than that, everything else seems great to me.